studyed to acquaynt you with the fine diet of christes true word c. Thus good gracious Lorde was he vnto you in procurynge and grauntyng How faithfull and honest subiectes proue ye in receiuyng and exercisyng so precious and riche treasures What perfection haue they wrought in you I can not say the truth without your gret shame But seeynge ye be not ashamed of shamefull doynge blame me not if I be not a shamed to do you to wyt thereof Then ye were halfe blynde and nowe ye see nothyng Then stockes and stones were in your eye and nowe God is oute of your hertes Then ye sought pardones in paper for youre synnes and nowe ye synne without repentaunce in your hertes Then ye kepte a grose dyet and nowe you surfet inordinatlye in all abhominacion and iniquitie Then ye were not in the ryghte way and now ye are to to farre of Then dydde ye stomble amonge cloddes and brakes and now ye fal doune right euen in the playn path Finally then ye had muche zeale without all knowledge and nowe ye haue muche knowledge without all zeale Then knew ye least and folowed most and nowe ye knowe most and followe least What a monstruous metamorphosie what a straunge alteracion of maners is this Who hathe bewytched you now my frendes what euyll ghoste What wycked spirite hathe benuÌ„med you of your wittes now Nemo leditur nisi a serpso No man is hurt but through him selfe it was a wyse and true sentence of Tullye The euyll ghoste of your owne selfe loue pride ambicion The wycked spirit of temeritie contempte and rashnesse all togyther possessyng your hertes hathe thus bewytched you not to obey folow the truthe wherby in steade of christians ye are become AntichristiÌ„as for true Gospellers ye proue Anababtistes Libertines Ebbionitts Arrians Seleutians Saduces Pellagians foule and blasphemous Heretykes This is true that I say and I am lothe to say it wolde God it were false I proued a lyer but reporte of some is certayne proufe by experience can not lye I se it daily more more true and I am sorye for it in my hearte because I loue you Other heare it and laugh at the same in their myndes because they hate you It is a good matter for your enemyes to reioyce for your frendes to weepe at It is glad tidynges to the one and heauy newes to thother And as we exceede in all hereticall and blasphemous opinions so retayne we also all vnclennesse all fylthynesse of lyfe emongste vs. Righteousnesse is fledde Vertue is banyshed the countreye they canne haue no dwellynge place here to abyde The fynes and incomes so great the reÌ„tes so hygh at the lords hande The entreteinment of other so churlysh The neyghboured eche where so vnplesauut When hath there ben heard of such intollerable pride The eare whiche wâ—â— heart his owne lyfe rebuked shall dwell in the midle of them that he wyse SalomeÌ„ of suche vnsasiable greedynes for the gruÌ„mel seede durtye mucke of this vayn world then haue latelye reigned amongste them which were in aucthoritee our rulers and in godly conuersation of lyfe shulde haue ben heades and Capitaynes also When hathe there ben hearde of the lyke headynesse Letter of ouer muche licence cometh great pâ—stilence â— There flattery ambicion and rashnesse as nowe a dayes is yet practised euen in the pulpettes where hence the syncere and pure worde of God shulde be taught and preached with all mekenesse with al humblenesse with all simplicitie When hath there ben harde of the lyke dissolutenesse disorder disobedience and daungerous lybertie as is presentely in vre amongest the Commons But th one sorte is well purged whereof certen haue reaped as they haue sowen Whose false gouernemente is to manyfeste howe soo euer certen busy personnes haue lately talken in defendynge their falte moste worthye condemnation and condemnynge the doynges of the kynges moste prudent councelours therin beste worthy commendation But the lord grante them his grace that they maye acknowledge theyr transgression and earnestly repente them for the same and that where they haue liued a lyfe worthy deathe euerlastynge yet throughe herty repentaunce they may dye the deathe in Iesus Chryste that maye turne theim to lyfe euerlastynge and that this their fal may be to al other that are or hereafter shall be appoynted rulers ouer the people sufficient example and feyre warnyng how they shulde behaue them selfe in that vocation To whome for further instruction be this sayde Intelligite erudimini qui iudicatis terram seruite Dominio in timore exultate ei cum tremore Ye that are called to be Rulers ouer the people as well Kynges as other Ciuil heades and magistrates vnderstande sayth the Prophet and be instructed whiche do iudge the earthe serue ye the lord in feare and reioyce vnto him with dreade This ought to be your studie and traueile to serche after the knowledge and vnderstandynge of God his lawes that such maters as shall come in coÌ„trauersy before you ye may decide and determine accordyng to equitie and iustice And to th ende ye may leade your people in the right path of the lord The roote of wisdome is to fere god and the brauÌ„che therof shall long time endure SalomoÌ„ and prouoke them by your example to lyue in righteousnesse serue ye the Lorde in feare without whiche nothyng but synne for looke what example of liuyng what presidents of doynges what paterne of maners what lessons of honestye and godlines what discipline of mercy gentlenesse thei receiue at your handes suche wyll your people folow Therfore if your liuiÌ„g be not godly pure ye stande in dauÌ„ger not only of your owne partes but of your peoples also For as the crased ship by lekyng in water into it doth not only drowne her selfe but as manye as be in her Euen so if you that be heades and Rulers lyue in wyckednesse If the ship of your owne soule be ouer whelmed with the waue of iniquitie what merueyle is it if the people that stand a borde with you be drowned in the same shipwracke with you also If ye leade your lyues out of all honest godly order what meruayle is it if they lyue inordinatlye If ye lyue as lawlesse persons what merueile if thei stray out of all lawes If ye be so proude that ye haue forgotten your byrthe was but syn your lifetyme but as yâ— bubble in that water in deth yeshal be but wormes meate what merueyle if ther remembre it not If ye be so blynded in vayne glory that ye can not discerne the true goodes frome the false the righte treasures form the counterfeiet To vse yâ— Puâ—lâ—ke Weale for a perticuler geyne or aduauÌ„tage is not oÌ„nly a thynge toule dishonest but also mischeuous and very adhominable Seneca If your hertes be so rapte to cumulate heape to gyther the coÌ„modities of this corrupte worlde with the incuÌ„moditie of ye
⧠THE FAL OF THE LATE ARRIAN ⧠He that beleueth in the sonne of god hath euerlasting life But he that beueth not is condemned alredy because he hath not beleued in the name of the onely begotten sonne of God Iohn ill ⧠TO THE MOSTE VERTVOVS LADY THE Lady Maries grace daughter to the right puissaunt kyng Henry the .viii. and sister to our most redoubted king Edwarde the .vi. Iohn Proctour her most humble oratour wissheth from God grace peace and helthfull felicitie AFTER that I had giuen our late Arrian the fall moost Gracious Marye I bethought me vnder whose shylde I myght haply calenge the game And diligently considering with my selfe how that all my labours and the fall which I haue gyuen tende onelye to the mayntinaunce of the honor and glorye of the Glorious Virgin Marye in defendynge and vpholdynge the sweete fruit of her blessed wombe Iesus Christ in his true diuinitie and perfect equalitie with God the father which my aduersary wolde haue gladly leyde on the grounde vnder whose banner thought I with better luck mought I entre the triumphe and synge the victorye then our Noble Marys whose natiue gentylnesse is suche that as her grace can not but vouchsafe her good wyl in all honest quarelles so in this especially she wyll not but wyll and doo thuttermost moued as well for the name sake as also through the heuenly conformitie of most godlye qualities in her to the hygh resemblaunce perfect imitacion of the other As who that dwelleth euermore in Galile Mary dwelleth in Galile iÌ„habiteth Nazareth espoused to Ioseph visited by Gabriel Mat. i. the most glorius transmigracion from the inordinate loue of the creatures into the Creator of al Inhabiteth most willingly Nazareth the sloure of virginitie the braunche of diuine influence Accompanyeth continualye with Ioseph the increase and augmentacion of fayth and loue Admitteth dailye into the priuey closet of her heart Gabriell the fortitude and might of God Through whose ioyfull Annuntiation her soule springeth vp with hope Affecteth the fulnesse of Grace the presence of the Lorde And obteyneth a sertayne singularitie of blessednesse amongest all Ladyes Mary riseth and goeth into the Mountayne cometh into the Cytie of Iude entreth the house of zacharye salutith Elyzabeth Lu. i As who againe daily riseth from synne from worldlye vanities and delyces Goeth into the mountaynes towarde the heauenly Ierusalem Cometh into the Citie of Iude the Citie of worthy prayse and diuine honor into the house of God to confesse her vnto his holy name Entreth the house of Zacharye the faythfull worthy remeÌ„braunce of the Lorde his preseptes Swetely saluteth Elizabeth the saturitie and fulnesse of her God Onely satisfieng her greedy desyre in him Qui solus replet in bonis desiderium nostrum And as the true handmayde of the Lorde Mery coÌ„ceyueth beareth bryngeth forth Iesê° Christ Math. i. conceiueth most worthely in her heart Beareth in perpetuall memorye And bringeth forth Iesus Christ true God and man in most goodly practise of godly lyfe Thus most Gracious Marye blessed handmayden of the Lorde debatyng with my selfe your Noble nature and heauenly disposicions wherin your Grace so nygh approcheth to the perfection of that your Graces celestiall paterne the holye Virgin Marye that in some mans head wytte myght well gather and reason conclude not a misse one the same soule to be of bothe the bodyes onely chaunged accordyng to Pythagoras lawe I saye occupyeng my imaginacion after this sorte within the circuite of youre Graces excellencye I fynde matier ynough encouragyng me to wyll that I wolde to lyke as I lysted to doo in dede no lesse then in mynd me thought I was euer a doyng Wherfore as well for contentacion of myne owne priuat affection as that also I suppose it most meete and congruent I haue not letted to committe these my labours into the handes of the people vnder the supporte and recognisaunce of your Graces title and name Wherby I doubte not but the honest godly sort wil like it the better the cankred and enuyous shal haue lesse force to endomage or hynder Although I know their bytyng carpyng styng wyl not a litle be sharpened therby agaynst the same my doyngs which I gladly do acknowledge shall atchiue no small ornament and grace through these four letters MARY Thus in euery thyng Enuye dothe comitat vertue no otherwyse then shadowe the bodye Howbeit for my parte I do neither couet the praise of th one ne regarde the dispraise of thother Only my desyre is to exhibet a laboure in thoÌ„s eye commendable without respecte of their commendation And in the others fansye vituperable withoute care or regarde of theire nyppe and checke The fruite no doubte of bothe thonlye floure of your Graces name shinyng in their eye at the firste entraunce shall brynge forthe and yelde vnto me in suche plenty that it shall greatlye ensence and prouoke me herafter in the like oportunitie to wil most with the best all if my power can do least with the worst In meane tyme I most hertely desire your grace to aspyre fauour that that present is the matier for the worthynesse the Author for his forward good wyll Both of the matier the author his entent your hyghnesse shall haue further instructioÌ„ if the same vouchsafe to reade my preface to my CouÌ„treimen of England wherin I do bothe touche teache accordyng to my skyll connyng and towarde th ende therof doo disclose a worde or two concernyng the late Arrian and his fall Thus the Lorde of Lordes Kyng of Kynges Iesus Christ preserue and continue your Grace in all honor glory welth nowe and euer Amen ⧠THE PREFACE vnto my countrey men of Englande IT IS not vnknowen to the christian reader that the deuil as he is the continuall aduersary of mankynde so coÌ„tinually at al times and seasons he laboreth by wonder full sundry craftes to ouerthrowe extinct the Euangelicall doctrine the only comforte and stay of man and to wery the faythefull folowers of the same ¶ In the firste buddynge tyme of Christ his churche lorde with howe many afflyctions was the same inuaded with howe many waues of sundry persecutions knocte and bet at with howe many tourmentes deathes tryed Agaynst which the crueltie of Princes The peruerse maliciousnesse of the Iues The impious rage of heretikes and finally the whole world with al kynde of deuelysh engines and malicious policies had as ye wolde say made insurrection And although Annas and Cayphas reigne not styll Nero and Diacletian are not euer yet euer shall Iesus Christ and suche as faythfully beleue in him suffre persecution to th ende of the worlde as Paul doth wytnes And in this present tyme what dauÌ„gerous tragedyes hathe Satan styrred vp what straunge perilous heresyes hath he reysed among the people of God Who seyng the great follye the habundauÌ„ce of iniquitie in these dayes among
preest in the Churche of Alexandry the yeare of our Lorde CCC and .xx. who was the fyrst Dadd and parent of this impe now eftsones buddynge and springyng vp through your engendryng and trauell and as he then so you wolde gladlye nowe father it vpon the holy worde of God to the ende it might prosper and come forwarde the better and the people by suche pretence allured shulde cull coll embrase and make much of it as thought it were the true fruite of that holye worde But ye are foule deceaued syr your carde of .x. can not out â—ace vs so for we know what ye haue in youre hande as well as your selfe Ye may not looke therfore to spede better then he that went before you of whom I shall more largelye speake afterwarde If he at that dayes was founde what he was and by the whole Councell of Nicene whervnto the Emperoure Constance the greate with CCC and .xviii. Bishops was assembled condemned as an heretike his opinion iudged to be of the deuyll and not of God Looke not you hardely for any better successe or fortune especially now in these dayes vnder great EDWARD whose yeares not so matjure as CoÌ„stancynes Yet in Grace Vertue as great in all iudgement as rype to descerne suche wycked bastarde wares from the sincere and pure Merchaundes of Christ is holy testameÌ„t Who incesstantly laboureth daily to wede out banysh extincte all suche wyckednesse from his people and the same to enstruct with the vnfallyble rule how and by what marke and token they may certenly knowe auoyde detest all suche as ye are with youre fruites of iniquitie tho they be faced and coloured with neuer so gret holynesse This Mayden Kynge Noble EDWARD Securis rationum vestrarum as Demosthenes was wont to say of Phosion toward him selfe ward the ax of al your wycked purposes cutteth downe faste by he roote what so euer is not planted vnder the commission and warrant of Iesus Christ but let vs see what foloweth of yours Arri. TO whiche sacred founten iust and right faith ought to cleaue and leane in all contrauersyes touchyng Religion chiefly in this poynt whiche seemeth to be the pyller and stay of our religioÌ„ where it is called into question concernyng the inuocation of sayntes or expiacion of soules A man may err without great dauÌ„ger in this point being the grouÌ„d and foundacion of our fayth We may not err without damage to religion I call that true religion whiche instructeth maÌ„s mynd with right faith and worthy opinion of God And I call that right faith which doth credit beleue that of God which the scriptures do testify not in a few places the same depraued detort in to wrongsense but as ye wyll saye throughlye with one and the same perpetuall tenor and concent Proct. GREAT Alexandre kynge of Macedonie what tyme diuers persons had hyghly commended the frugalitie spare maner of liuynge that Antipater vsed who leade a life homely voyde of delices Yea ê™ Alexander Foris albo vtitur pallio Antipater intus vero totus purpuratus est That is to saye Antipater weareth a whyte robe outwardlye but within he goeth in purple euery inche of him Notyng the conserable sparyng of the sayde Antipater where as in very deede he was that notwitstandyng as ambicious and stately as the best The lyke hipocrisy coulerable handlyng gentle reader but in a hygher matter this felow presently vseth to deceue seduce and intrapp thy simplicitie But feare not to say or beleue it with out saiyng that he weareth a white robe outwardly but within he is dashst vp in purple euerye ynche of him that is he beareth the in hand with hys outwarde wordes that he is an honest plaine man and a good Christian and yet notwithstanding in veray deede he is a great hereticall blasphemor agaynst Christ euery ynche of him If naked wordes ought only to be weyed and expended as sufficient testimony and triall of a man who better christian then this man whose wordes in this place sounde as godlye as any can be spoken But good Christian reder I exhort councell the agayne and agayne for the loue of God take heede of suche false prophetes Tho they speake and glose neuer so fayre tho the scripture drop oute of their mouthes neuer so thycke yet I crye take heede weygh and consyder with thy selfe well to what ende purpose their plesauÌ„t faire talke their mouthes full of scripture do tende and then by grace ye maye anone fynde them saye vnto your selfe as Phosion sayde vnto the people of Athens beyng very brag vpon the heresay or brute of Alexander his death If he be dead to day ê™ Phosion he wylbe dead to morow also so furth c. If it be true that they tell you it wyll be styll true folowe the prouerbe Festina lente This hast spedeth best wheÌ„ al other hast maketh wast Beholde howe iolylye thys man preacheth to vs nowe in this place Ryght fayth must leane saythe he cleaue to the Worde of God That is well The scriptures must try and decide all contrauersyes touchynge true Religion That is well Trew Religion is that whiche instructeth with right fayth and worthy opinioÌ„ of God And that is well Ryghte fayth is that which doth beleue and credit that of God which the scriptures with one concent throughout do testify of him Wonderous well Finally he improueth such as doo depraue detort and wrest the scriptures into wronge sense all this is meruelously well spoken yea nor Paule neither Peter taughte better doctrine Sed fugite hinc pueri later anguis in herba Marke gentle Reader to what ende purpose all this geare goeth and then thou shalte well perceaue both Actu 8. ê™ illi noÌ„ est sors i sermone isto that he hath no parte in the tale told by him as Paule sayde to Symon Magus how that all this whyle also he laieth but whiles to deceaue the he setteth thy teeth an edge with a pleasunt bayte the rather to take thee with the hooke whiche yet thou seest not For is it not his purpose intent to perswade thee that Christ was but a creature a passible man and not God equall to his Father in his deuine nature Yes for soth and is not this cleane contrary to al scripture true Religion and ryght fayth Nothyng more contrary as it shal apeare afterwarde Yet now he wolde make thee beleue that he wyll decide thys matter by the sciptures accordyng to right fayth and true religion O plene omni dolo omni falacia sili diaboli inimice omnis iusticiae non desinis vias domini peruertere rectas Acto xiii O full of all subteltie and al deceatfulnesse Ictu 13 the chylde of the deuyll and ennemy of all righteousnesse ceasest thou not to ê‘uert the streight waies of the Lord Could Paule trow ye speke this senteÌ„ce then to